Aurora - Haikyuu x Various

Two

❝ I look at you and I would rather look at you than all the portraits in the world...❞ — Frank O'Hara

ESCAPING HAD BEEN a much harder task than Sayo originally planned. It wasn't the first time she had snuck into the palace though it was the first time she'd been sighted.

According to the informant, the room was vacant, which was clearly false. Whether that lie had been intentional or not, was the real issue.

The girl's gaze fell on the silver key hidden within the cuff of her sleeve, her eyes narrowed with much apprehension. If they really had ill-intent then the key wouldn't have been sitting on the balcony like promised in the anonymous report.

Still, the events that had just played out were overtly dangerous.

With her known affiliation to many noble houses, it would've been bad if she had been caught. She was fortunate enough to have been wearing a mask that night which allowed her identity to at least remain ambiguous.

While desire to overthrow the royal family had brewed in the back chambers for many years, it was only recently that the issue was pushed to the forefront and enough houses had agreed on forming a loose league of alliances - House Sephtis being one of the most noteable amongst the group.

For whatever reason, the citizens had grown increasingly uneasy that there was corruption within the kingdom and pointed fingers at the palace, claiming the only way to fix that would be to reform society so that there would be no more kings or queens.

But that was, supposedly, another baseless rumor spread by the particularly daring.

Why her father had decided to join in on that stance when their ancestors had pledged allegiance to the royal family for centuries, she didn't know.

He was also in far too weak of a state to carry out his end of the bargain and promises to the other noble lords, hence why Sayo was doing some of his busywork instead, keeping tabs on in-castle events as well as keeping in close communication with undercover insiders.

That being said, she had nothing personal against any of the crown princes and was only assisting out of filial duty as the only child to inherit heirloom.

In fact, she knew that within the aristocratic faction were men filled with greed and evil intentions, far worse than any corrupt monarchy - but she too was just as bad for getting involved.

A sigh of relief left her clothed lips when she spotted the signature white gates of the palace just yards away. Sadly, that moment of relief was fleeting because moments later, the clatter of hooves against rocky gravel was all that she could hear.

At the foreign sensation of a large arm curling around her waist, the girl went slack with panic. Her mind running through the consequences of fighting back versus surrendering to the unknown assailant.

"Careful princess, wouldn't want to get caught now would ya," a low voice chuckled from behind as if reading her mind, "the guards aren't necessarily gentle."

The hand remained firmly placed on her waist while she was jerkily pulled back. The girl reflexively shivered when her lower back brushed against what she assumed to be the hilt of a sheathed sword.

Unless she wanted to gamble with her neck, running wasn't an option now.

"How cute, yer a perfect fit."

Her eyes widened as she was forcefully spun a full 180, too bewildered to catch the meaning in his slip of the tongue. The uniquely-dyed blond locks were instantly recognizable and she would've slipped if it wasn't for the two hands holding her steady.

"P-prince Atsumu."

Atsumu studied her appearance in silence, cradling her chin with a calloused hand after she attempted to turn from his keen stare. His fingers migrated upwards, gently brushing back the wind-swept hair from her face as if they too, had a mind of their own and were just as mystified by her as he was.

The sudden action left them both confused and her questioning gaze to flickered up to meet his.

There was something about seeing her own reflection on the golden brown hues that filled Sayo with fretful unease. He was infamous for being the coldest of the three princes, even intimidating his own admirers on multiple occasions, yet his current actions reflected nothing of the sort.

It was a wonder why she wasn't already pinned down on the ground, lifeless.

"Lady Sayo," her name left his lips in a breathless mumble and her heart hammered with fear.

"What was that your highness?" Her voice remained untroubled even when she clearly was, and she shyed from his touch. Surely she had misheard; it was definitely their first encounter as far as she could recall.

The blond prince narrowed his eyes at her words. It had been several years since he last saw her, but he definitely wasn't mistaken.

He couldn't have been past 8 years of age at the time, watching her get sworn in from behind his father's throne, but the 'beh' face she had sent him when no one was looking stuck with him like a persistent fern.

It was one of the more offending moments of his childhood years and he was too shocked by her disrespect to even respond. Her seemingly direct eye contact with him made everything that much worse.

He was flabbergasted, painfully unaware that her actions were actually directed at his older brother who stood directly behind him, testing out his newly acquired better-than-Tobio smile on the girl.

The smile was obviously not perfected yet at that point and time based on her reaction.

"That's you, isn't it?" He pushed, transitioning from his past memories to the present circumstance, "Lady Sayo, from House Sephtis."

He didn't know why she was hiding her identity or why she was out so late in the first place, but he didn't question it, or rather couldn't.

There was only so much his brain could handle and it was already struggling with their shared proximity. His pulse differed greatly from its normal rhythm, uncomfortably racing underneath his cool demeanor.

How ironic that both then and now, she flustered him like no other by simply existing.

"Ya should go before I call over the guards," he whispered, his breath fanning the outer edge of her ear after his lips ghosted over the tender skin of her cheek. 

It was a bluff, but she didn't hesitate exploiting the opportunity granted. She was fast enough that he would've missed her quiet thanks if it had not lingered in the night air long after she was gone.

He turned away, grateful for the darkness that fell over his warm face.

"How cruel," he murmured, unable to help himself as he glanced back to make sure she'd made it out safely, "how cruel to be so beautiful."